Thursday, 31 December 2015

A
van driver was the victim of 'parking rage' violence after asking the
driver of a Mercedes to move outside an off-licence.

This
CCTV image, taken inside the premises, has been released by police in
Harrow as they hunt the man responsible for punching the van driver
in the face.

On
Thursday, September 10 at 8.50pm, the 25-year-old van driver tried to
park his vehicle in Kenton Road, Harrow.

Blocking
his way was a black Mercedes car, which was asked to move.

The
Mercedes only moved when the white van reversed and nearly hit it.

The
van driver went into a nearby off-licence and was approached by two
men and was asked to step outside.

Once
outside the shop the confrontation escalated and one of the men hit
the van driver a number of times in the face.

The
victim drove off, followed by the Mercedes, and stopped in Kingsbury
Circle, Harrow.

As
he got out of his van and looked into his wing mirror to inspect his
facial injuries, he was again assaulted.

The
suspect is described as a white man aged between 25 and 35 years-old.

Anyone
who can identify the man shown in the CCTV footage or who has
information relating to the assault is asked to contact police via
101 quoting reference 190300 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555
111.

Sunday, 27 December 2015

A brothel madam, who generated
revenue of £1.4m during the decade-long tax-free illegal enterprise, has been jailed for four years.Dorothy Jones, 64, of Dunvegan
Close, Manea, March, Cambridgeshire rented three properties in
south-west London, but was hunted down by HMRC, who says she dodged
£386,000 in tax.It financed the purchase of a
luxury detached 2575 sq foot five-bedroom new-build house complete
with an outdoor hot tub.She pleaded guilty to managing the
brothels between 2003 and 2014.The first, named 'Sapphires', was
located in a flat at 214A Burlington Road, New Malden and
'Annabella's' occupied next-door properties at 27 and 29 St. James
Road, Surbiton.Jones also pleaded guilty to
cheating the public revenue of income tax between 2003 and 2013 and
laundering criminal property via a Santander bank account, namely
£137,000 between 2007 and 2013.

Luxury: Jones's Hot Tub

Along with her husband Stephen
Jones, 52, she also admitted fraud by false representation, namely
acquiring a £115,000 mortgage for their matrimonial home.The couple produced forged
documents for companies that did not exist to support the mortgage
application in which Dorothy claimed to be a £48,000 a year masseuse
and Stephen a £35,000 a year family entertainer.He received a twelve-month
community order for the offence, which includes 180 hours community
service work and was ordered to pay £250 costs and a £60 victim
surcharge.A third defendant, Denise Oliver,
46, of 61 Springfield Place, New Malden pleaded guilty to possessing
criminal property, namely £1,221 cash from the brothels, which
police found during a raid of her home.She also received a twelve-month
community order, which includes 120 hours community service work.Prosecutor Miss Sarah Selby told
Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court: “These businesses were owned by
Dorothy Jones. She rented the properties and received most of the
profits they generated.”

Annabella's Brothel

She did not declare the brothel
income throughout the period, only disclosing minor amounts of
revenue from other sources.The couple's joint mortgage
application to the Yorkshire Building Society was false, but it has
been paid off and they now face selling their home to cover HMRC's
application for unpaid tax.Documents seized during the
investigation revealed an estimated £1.4m turnover from the
brothels, explained Miss Selby, with profits of £950,000 giving an
approximate yearly income of £95,000.Also seized was evidence she made
cash deposits of £137,000 into her bank account to cover the
mortgage payments.When Oliver's home was raided the
cash was found stuffed in four separate envelopes marked with the
name of the prostitute who had earned it.“She was seen at the brothels on
a number of occasions,” said Miss Selby.“How has it been allowed to go
on for so long?” asked Judge Peter Birts QC, who was told the
brothels were relatively low-key with only a handful of local
complaints about unusual coming-and-goings.The court heard confiscation
proceedings have been initiated and a large amount of valuable
personal possessions had been seized from Mrs Jones.Her lawyer estimated she could
make £70,000 to £100,000 available to the taxman after the sale of
her home.

Friday, 25 December 2015

Welcome to the site and please allow us take this opportunity to wish all our readers, regular and new, a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year.I hope the stories and news reports on here over the past twelve months have been informative and interesting to you.We promise to continue covering crime and court stories all over London and the surrounding areas throughout 2016.We hope you will also continue to visit us regularly and contribute your own comments to the cases we have covered.Happy Christmas!

Tuesday, 22 December 2015

A
car passenger flew into a rage – grabbing a warden's hand-held
terminal and assaulting him - when the vehicle received a parking
ticket.

The
vehicle's heavily tattooed driver initially argued about receiving
the fine, but his passenger escalated the aggression, kicking the
terminal across the road, scratching its screen.

Police
have released this image – recorded on the warden's body camera –
in the hope the suspect can be identified.

On
Sunday, July 5 at 2.46pm the traffic warden issued a parking fine to
the driver of a white car parked near Southwark Underground Station,
Southwark.

The
passenger got out of the car and started to shout at the male traffic
warden who was working for the local authority.

The
passenger then grabbed the warden’s mobile data terminal out of his
hands and threw it onto the floor and kicked it across the road,
causing criminal damage to the screen.

He
then assaulted the traffic warden.

The
victim did not require medical attention.

The
suspect is described as a tall, black man wearing a white t-shirt.

Anyone
who can identify the man shown in the CCTV footage or who has
information relating to the incident is asked to contact police on
101 quoting reference 185776 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555
111.

Sunday, 20 December 2015

An Everton FC supporter, caught on CCTV selling cocaine to a fellow fan during an away cup-tie, has received a suspended prison sentence.

Father-of-two Liam Gray, 29, of 42 First Avenue, Fazakerley, told Isleworth Crown Court Judge Simon Davis: "The quality was a lot better than it was in Liverpool.

"It was a one-off, knocking out the gear, not a regular thing. It was so everyone could have a good time.

"I only bought it to sell to my friends and bought it in London so we could have a good time on the coach on the way home."

He pleaded guilty to possessing twenty-five wraps of cocaine, weighing nearly 20 gms, with intent to supply and supplying two wraps to the fan at Craven Cottage during his team's 2-1 Capital One Cup defeat to Fulham FC on September 24, 2013.

He was sentenced to twenty-four months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and placed under the supervision of the probation service for two years.

Gray claimed he paid £750 for the drugs to a dealer he originally bought from at the Glastonbury festival earlier that year and had arranged to meet at a pub near the football ground.

He was filmed selling two wraps for £30 to Kevin Keating, 40, of Ennerdale Close, Kirkby and both were arrested son after.

Gray had £105 cash on him, plus the twenty-five wraps of cocaine concealed in his underpants and initially tried to convince police he was only selling Mr. Keating a coach ticket.

The defendant organises his own coach trips for Everton fans throughout the UK and abroad and buys all the match tickets via the supporters club.

Many of his regulars enjoy getting high, confirmed Gray. "I was going to take the cocaine on the coach on the way home and sell it at cost price to anyone that wanted any and use the rest myself.

Gray, who has a previous conviction for supplying the drug added: "Now I don't take cocaine anymore because of the effect it has had on my life."

Friday, 18 December 2015

A dad groped Princess Fiona when he took his wife and two kids to a Shrek-themed attraction - grabbing the bum of the young actress playing her and planting a kiss on her neck.

IT engineer Srinivas Boreddy, 36, told police: "She looked very good" and now claims he was trying to break the awkward silence with a UK-style greeting he observed during his short time in the country.

The young actress, aged in her twenties, who was playing the character - Shrek's love-interest in the hit movie franchise - agreed to a friendly hug, but was left in tears and says she was "shocked" and "violated" by Boreddy's grope.

Indian-born Boreddy, of Pleasant Place, Barker Lane, Chesterfield, Derbyshire pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the woman at Shrek's Adventure!, County Hall, Southbank, London on October 25.

Today at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court he was sentenced to a twelve-month community order, which includes 150 hours community service work and was ordered to pay £85 costs, a £60 victim surcharge, a £180 court charge and £50 compensation to the victim.

Prosecutor Mr. Edward Aydin told the court: "This is a sexual assault on a children's character, Princess Fiona. The victim is a female actress playing that role in a family amusement park."

The victim was in charge of a magical bus ride Boreddy wanted to take his wife and two children, aged eight and two-and-a-half years-old on, but he had to wait with the youngest because the child was too small.

"He then came back alone to go on the bus ride and the victim, Princess Fiona, is standing there and she said he had to wait a few minutes.

"Then all of a sudden, without any provocation from the Princess, he's asked for a hug.

"The victim thought it was unusual, but agreed and all of a sudden, during the course of the hug, Boreddy grabs both the victim's bottom cheeks in that encounter then pulls the Princess into his groin area forcefully."

The victim told police: "I felt no erection," and Mr. Aydin added: "He could have had one as the coat is quite thick, the coat she wears as part of the costume.

"He also leant down and tried to kiss the cheeks on her face and as she moved away to avoid the kiss on the cheek he managed to kiss her on the neck, a small bite, she says.

"His thick moustache also brushed her neck and caused a rash and some small irritation, slight scarring, she says, and some pain.

"She was extremely shocked, she says, extremely violated.

"No one would expect a character in a children's theme park to be sexually assaulted at 2pm on a Sunday. He's come back alone to target the Princess.

"For this type of activity he should be ashamed of what he has done.

"She's just doing her job and and not expecting someone to kiss her and touch her on the bottom."

Boreddy, who speaks Telugu, a tongue common to south-eastern Andhra Pradesh, India and needed an interpreter, arrived in the UK on a work visa in July and has a £2,000-plus a month position.

Probation officer Patrick Acres told the court: "I get a sense of his lack of experience being outside his native India.

"Before the offence he had made the observation that people on the Underground greeted each other with hugs and a kiss on the cheek."

Boreddy claims he only returned to go on the ride and had not targeted the victim.

"He said the operator told him to wait and she was staring at him, he felt…..Mr. Boreddy felt there was an uncomfortableness of being there with this woman and not communicating," explained Mr. Acres.

"In his words he said: 'I thought I should introduce myself to her', bearing in mind a hug and a kiss is how he believes we introduce ourselves.

"He asked her first, but she was not expecting that. The only person he hugged and kissed before was his wife.

"He was not aware of the touching of the bottom. It was very clumsy.

"He said at the time of the hug she shied away and said: 'This isn't how you should be hugging'."

The teetotal post-graduate then spent six hours in police custody while his wife and kids travelled home.

"I don't believe there was a sexual intent at making a pass at the woman."

Boreddy's lawyer Mr. Denney Lau said: "He's not had a good night's sleep ever since. This matter was reported in the national press and there have been various unkind comments made by others on the internet."

Boreddy has been hurt by online user comments such as "pervert", "vile" and "go back to your own country.'

"He's ashamed of himself, for what has happened and is worried about his work and it has caused stress in the relationship with his partner and impacted the children.

Thursday, 17 December 2015

A step-father and daughter, caught
smuggling over £15,000 worth of cocaine into the UK after a
so-called fact-finding coffee trip to Brazil, were both jailed today.Dainis Grinfelds, 46, and Aiva
Skuja, 20, both of The Diamond, Middletown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland both
swallowed sealed packets of the 75%-86% pure drug, but were stopped
at Gatwick Airport.They pleaded guilty at west
London's Isleworth Crown Court to one count each of importing cocaine
on September 9 and Grinfelds received four-and-a-half years and Skuja
three-and-a-half years.The court heard the pair had flown
from Sao Paulo via Casablanca and when stopped by customs men
Grinfelds claimed he was in South America obtaining coffee samples
for his business.However, a Nike bag in their
purple suitcase tested positive for traces of cocaine and when
x-rayed Grinfelds had six packets and Skuja seven packets.Both have been held in custody
since their arrest and the obviously-distressed first-time offender
Skuja stood beside her step-father in the secure dock.“He lives in Northern Ireland
and has a young family,” explained Mr. Andrew Bullivant, defending.
“He is established in Northern Ireland, he has convictions there
since 2006.“He runs a coffee shop and the
purpose of the trip to Brazil was to seek out coffee samples and he
took his step-daughter with him to source coffee.“They got into difficulties with
money, they were taking in the sights and spending money over what
they budgeted for.“He says they were robbed and
their money taken off them and they missed their flight and had to
live rough for one to two weeks in Sao Paulo, which was quite a
frightening experience.“He was threatened and felt
pressured into agreeing to take the drugs. He agreed to carry the
drugs back in exchange for tickets so they could get back safely.“He has shown me injuries to his
legs where he was cut with a knife.Judge Phillip Matthews told them:
“Importation of class A drugs is viewed very seriously and you both
played a significant role in importing that cocaine and were
motivated by financial gain.“Neither of you gave any
explanation whatsoever in your interviews.”

Saturday, 12 December 2015

A bank worker, who stole £56,000 from an old family friend's retirement pot when they moved back to Ireland, was jailed for two-and-a-half years yesterday.

Maura Kealy, 57, was a co-signatory on the HSBC account opened in 1992 by Christopher and Bridget Behan because the couple trusted her to take care of their retirement fund.

Spinster Kealy, of St. Peter's Place, Arklow, County Wicklow, a former senior customer services officer at the bank's Surbiton branch in south-west London will also have to repay the money.

She pleaded guilty at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court to stealing £56,101 between June 26, 2001 and September 21, 2010 from Mrs Behan, 83.

Prosecutor Mr. Richard Germain told the court Mrs Behan, who now lives in Limerick, and her late husband had known Kealy's parents for forty years so went to see her to arrange their finances.

"The Behan's wanted their pension payments transferred to Ireland and the defendant advised them to open an account on which she would also be a signatory.

"Because she was trusted by them they agreed and £900 was to be transferred to Ireland every month."

Sadly Mr. Behan passed away and when Mrs Behan was hospitalised in 2010 her relatives took responsibility for her finances and discovered the thefts.

"They found a large number of unauthorised transactions had taken place on the account.

"There were a large number of withdrawals for lottery tickets, scratch cards, eBay purchases, Amazon, WH Smith's, Argos and credit cards."

Kealy was arrested at her then home in Brentford, west London on May 9, 2013.

"She denied she had been dishonest and said she mistakenly used the Behan account."

Kealy continued denying the thefts up until day one of her proposed trial, when she eventually pleaded guilty,but had forced Mrs Behan to make the unnecessary journey to Dublin to give evidence via video link.

Mrs Behan also had to travel to London during the investigation to collect her original bank statements from HSBC because Kealy refused to send them to her.

Following her arrest Kealy moved to Ireland to care for her ill mother and bought an ex-council property with her share of the inheritance when she died.

"Mrs Behan feels a great sense of shock at what happened because she regarded Kealy as a friend and feels let down," added Mr. Germain.

"She says she would like compensation, but makes the point time is not on her side."

Kealy's lawyer Mr. Charles Digby told the court his client had survived breast cancer and a stroke without family support.

"She's lived a rather solitary life," he said of the first-time offender. "Even today she has sat outside with her head down trying to hide from the world.

"She had a gambling problem, an addiction to scratch cards and things like that and is deeply ashamed of her behaviour."

Kealy may now lose her home under Proceeds of Crime Act Legislation and a confiscation hearing was fixed for April 1 next year.

Judge Georgina Kent told her: "You are remorseful and regretful, but continued to try to minimise your actions as some sot of mistake.

"This is a very serious offence in high breach of trust and was a great shock to Mrs Behan.

"They were vulnerable people facing retirement and were reliant on you. You were in a position of responsibility and that is why they trusted you.

"Far too many people prey on elderly and vulnerable people, which is what you did in this case."

Friday, 11 December 2015

A vengeful secretary blackmailed her former boss and married lover by demanding £200,000 to drop a rape claim she made against him.

Dilrushi Mendis, 40, was cheating on her own husband with employer and wealthy businessman Nihal Seneviratne until he sacked and dumped her.

The Sri Lankan mother-of-one, of Manstone Road, Cricklewood received eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years, today.

"I pass a sentence on the basis you have used the criminal justice system to attempt to get a large some of money from your ex-lover," Blackfriars Crown Court Judge Peter Clarke QC told the first-time offender.

"There was obviously some bad blood between you and you demanded two hundred thousand pounds and it was linked to a rape allegation that would be withdrawn."

Mr.Seneviratne, who always denied the claim, was arrested and spent three months on police bail until eventually told there would be no charge.

Mendis was also originally charged with perverting the course of justice by making a malicious allegation of sexual assault, but this was dropped by the prosecution.

"There were matters where you were wronged and part of your motive was impure, it was revenge on a man you felt had betrayed you."

Mendis also sent sexually explicit "revenge porn" images to Mr. Seneviratne's friends and family and turned up near his house demanding to be seen when he was at home with his wife and daughter's on Valentine's Day.

Prosecutor Mr. Adam King told the court: "They met in 2008 when she began working for him. They were both married, but an on-off sexual relationship began and he helped her financially."

In September, 2013 Mr. Seneviratne ended her employment and the relationship after learning Mendis's husband was moving to the UK.

"She did not take it well and pestered him with phone calls and he felt she had somehow gained access to his email account because she knew about his restaurant plans one Valentine's.

"Later that evening in February, 2014 she telephoned Mr. Seneviratne, who was at home with his family, saying she was outside and demanded to be seen.

"He met her around the corner and agreed to see her the next day, but broke the date and Mendis phoned him hundreds of times.

"She sent him a text which read: 'If you do not come and see me I'll do something terrible to you.'

"She asked Mr. Seneviratne, knowing he was a wealthy man, for forty to fifty thousand pounds to open a hair salon."

Around this time Mendis reported Mr. Seneviratne to the police, claiming he struck her. "She admitted to him she lied to the police."

On the evening of March 2, 2014 she invited him to stay at her place and Mr. Seneviratne arrived with a friend of his, and still maintains they slept in a separate room.

However, Mendis told police the men arrived with alcohol and she had two or three drinks before Mr. Seneviratne entered her room later and raped her.

He was in his native Sri Lanka when the complaint was made and the same friend acted as a go-between, communicating Mendis would drop the case for £200,000.

He did not pay anything and was arrested on June 16, 2014 when he returned.

"She was not paid during her employment by this wealthy and successful businessman and was on benefits," said Miss Nerida Harford-Bell, defending.

"He did lead her to believe he would leave his wife and then live with her in Sri Lanka. That was a foolish dream.

"It was a demand for money so that she could be free.

"He had made threats to her family that he would make their lives difficult in Sri Lanka and Mrs Mendis was told she was: 'One of many women in his life' and was a: 'Whore and prostitute'."

Mendis pleaded guilty to one count of blackmail and the prosecution dropped a charge of perverting the course of justice.